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The land subsidence caused by underground mining results in land form transformations in the Silesian Upland, which is located in southern Poland. The aim of the research was to determine the role of subsidence basins as new sedimentary basins and local erosion bases. Detailed research was carried out in selected mining subsidence areas where most extensive and spectacular subsidence basins in the Silesian Upland have formed. As part of the field work, the geological structure of the area was examined and detailed geomorphological and hydrological mapping was conducted. Bottom sediment samples were collected from water bodies and were subsequently subjected to laboratory analyses in order to determine their basic composition and the presence of selected elements. Cartometric measurements were carried out on the basis of the cartographic material collected. The underground extraction of coal in the study area has resulted in far-reaching changes in land forms and in the water cycle. In extreme cases, the area has subsided by slightly more than 25 metres compared to the level prior to the commencement of underground coal mining. The emergence of subsidence basins has caused significant transformations in matter circulation, which are essentially local in their nature. The resulting depressions are endorheic basins where sediments accumulate which contain numerous substances, including toxic metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land subsidence caused by underground mining results in the transformation of water relations in the catchment. The purpose of the research is to determine the impact of the subsidence basin on changes in the water cycle. Detailed research was carried out in the city of Bytom, in the Karb district where one of the most spectacular subsidence basins on the Silesian Upland (southern Poland) emerged. As part of the study, the geological structure of the area was examined and a detailed geomorphological and hydrological mapping was conducted. Cartometric measurements were carried out based on the cartographic material collected. The underground extraction of coal in the study area resulted in far-reaching changes in land forms and in the water cycle. The area has subsided by more than 25 metres compared to the level prior to the commencement of underground coal mining. The subsidence basin caused transformations in the water cycle, primarily local ones. The changes concern all elements of vertical and horizontal water exchange. The resulting depression is an endorheic basin to which water is supplied in a concentric pattern as a result of runoff after atmospheric precipitation. The local flow of shallow groundwater has been clearly disrupted and new pathways for their circulation have formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, the development of tourism is dependent on the presence of tourist (natural, cultural, specialist) attractions as well as on the state of tourist infrastructure (accommodation, catering, accompanying and transport infrastructure). Global environmental problems are usually marginalised or entirely overlooked at the stage when tourist offerings are developed. The purpose of the research is to identify and define the role of major global environmental problems in the development of tourism. The research methods that have been used are tourist travel scenario analysis, statistical data analysis, interviews, surveys and library queries. Major global environmental problems related to the development of tourism are air pollution, quantitative and qualitative changes concerning waters, intensified greenhouse effect, seismic and volcanic phenomena, impacts of celestial bodies, ozone depletion (ozone hole), deforestation, soil erosion and desertification, and also ENSO (El Niño - Southern Oscillation). It has been found that global environmental problems should be taken into account in tourism development strategies, chiefly as factors that limit the development of tourism. In rare cases, these problems are of interest to tourists and are treated as tourist attractions. The overwhelming majority of respondents assess their knowledge of global environmental problems as significantly below average, i.e. they state that they have little or no knowledge on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Poland, beavers have colonised all types of valley landscapes - from late glacial coastal lowlands and lake districts in the north of the country to upland and mountainous ones in the south. Studies of geomorphological effects of their presence in valleys of small rivers in the Oder and Vistula River basins have confirmed the results of earlier observations conducted in forest zones of North America and Europe. In Polish territory, effects of the changes related to the beavers' activities have been studied for at most a few decades. American researchers were the first to suggest the significant contribution of sediments from beaver ponds to the development of Holocene floodplains in small valleys. At the same time, they drew attention to the need to collect materials that would corroborate this thesis in different regions of the world. In recent years, more publications appeared on fossil traces of the beavers' activity during the Holocene. Still, there is a glaring disparity between the estimated size of the beaver population in the evergreen forest zone in the Holocene and the evidence of their effectiveness in transforming landscapes on the one hand, and geological records in Holocene alluvia on the other hand. Study results indicate that part of Holocene sediments in flood basins and part of the peats covering valley floors, which used to be interpreted as the effect of climate change (flooding associated with climate becoming wetter) or human-induced change, may in fact be related to beaver colonies that were common in the Holocene. During their studies of Holocene alluvia and peat bogs, and also as a result of their queries of archived excavation data, the authors gathered data that point to the prevalence of beavers in Poland since the beginning of the Holocene, and in some cases as early as the late Pleistocene. The authors focused on establishing the criteria that allowed them to distinguish filled-in beaver ponds among the alluvia of which the Holocene floodplain is built. The documentation includes excavated ponds and fossil dams, alluvia containing wood with beaver tooth marks and peat cores containing wood detritus. Methodical experiments were also conducted to test the suitability of the Detektor Duo ground penetrating radar for searching for fossil wood detritus clusters in peat bogs. The authors suggest that conclusions from previous studies of fossil beaver ponds be used to reinterpret the origins of some Holocene alluvial deposits, especially in valleys up to the fourth order in Horton's system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situated in the central part of the country, Chott El Jerid is the largest periodic lake in Tunisia. The depression is a flat plain lined with Holocene lacustrine sediments, which mostly developed in the form of alluvia and evaporites. Geochemical properties of sediments were tested using the following methods: FUS-ICP, TD-ICP, INAA, Cold Vapour FIMS. As concerns the basic composition, the following substances were identified (average levels): loss on ignition (LOI) - 24.27%, SiO2 - 21.46%, CaO - 20.54%, Na2O - 5.23%, Al2O3 - 4.09%, MgO - 3.52%, Fe2O3 - 1.71%, K2O - 1.47%, TiO2 - 0.28%, P2O5 - 0.09%, MnO - 0.02%. The average sulphur content determined was 8.41%. The average content of trace elements was: 4.0 mg/kg As, 162.0 mg/kg - Ba, 61.5 mg/kg - Br, 25.0 mg/kg - Ce, 7.0 mg/kg - Co, 27.5 mg/kg - Cr, 1.25 mg/kg Cs, 8.0 mg/kg - Cu, 0.55 mg/kg - Eu, 3.8 mg/kg - Hf, 13.05 mg/kg - La, 0.18 mg/kg - Lu, 2.5 mg/kg Mo, 9.0 mg/kg Nd, 10.0 mg/kg - Ni, 9.0 mg/kg - Pb, 55.0 mg/kg Rb, 0.6 mg/kg - Sb, 3.8 mg/kg - Sc, 2.15 mg/kg - Sm, 1616.5 mg/kg - Sr, 4.1 mg/kg - Th, 1.45 mg/kg U, 31.0 mg/kg - V, 11.0 mg/kg - Y, 1.15 mg/kg - Yb, 24.5 mg/kg - Zn, 151.5 mg/kg - Zr. The content of basic components and concentrations of trace elements are good indicators of the quality of bottom sediments in periodic lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some water reservoirs are considered to be attractive for the development of recreation and rest. They make indirect or direct point of tourist migrations and their importance is equally often investigated in categories of sightseeing. Recreational use of reservoir retention is most of all conditioned by the character of its use (e.g. aesthetics of reservoir and its neighbourhood, i.e. the quality state of water, access to shores and water surface) and connected with it legal limitations. Tourist and recreational range of reservoir edges also depends on the occurrence of other values (natural, cultural, specialist) in the neighbourhood as well as on the state of tourist management (transport infrastructure, tourist-recreational facilities, gastronomic base, accommodation i.e. guest houses, tent sites and camping sites, shelters, hostels, pensions, hotels and motels). Based on the evaluation of tourist-recreational attractiveness of water reservoirs the following categories were established: lack of attractiveness or low attractiveness of water reservoirs, small attractiveness of water reservoirs, high attractiveness of water bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Silesian Upland is among regions in Europe that are richest in energy resources and metal ores. The Upper-Silesian Industrial Region (also known as the Katowice conurbation or GOP) developing there to take advantage if the resources was for decades one of the largest industrial regions of Europe, and at the same time - one of the largest areas of ecological disaster. To this day, 25% of surface soil is totally degraded, and 2/3 of surface water is not suitable for even industrial process uses. Yet it is also an area where the neraly70-year-long efforts aimed at its regeneration have led to significant improvements - multiple locations in the region have been adapted for recreation and tourism purposes. On the basis of a SWOT analysis, the authors of the present study attempt to assess the impact of these changes and evaluate the prospects for development of tourism in the region. Its industrial legacy, significant share of forest land and numerous bodies of water are the foundation of currently developing industrial tourism in the region, accompanied by various forms of eco-tourism and recreation. The formation of local infrastructure and destinations for "weekend tourism" for the 2.2 million residents of the Katowice conurbation was a long-term process, conditioned by complex political and economic history of the region, and relatively early awakened, steadily growing eco-awareness, conducive to efforts aimed at regeneration and adaptation of anthropogenically altered areas. Nowadays, the region is fighting against its deeply-rooted negative image, and running a broad promotional campaign aimed at attracting tourists also from outside Silesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the possibilities of using cultural heritage sites in nature-rich rural areas and woodlands as tourist attractions. The analysis covers cultural heritage and natural sites present in the upper Liswarta River catchment. From 1740 to 1806 a settlement campaign was underway in the very sparsely populated forest areas in the upper catchment of the Liswarta River. This was supported by the Prussian state and was later dubbed the Frederician colonisation. Frederician colonies were established in wooded areas with poor soils. They were most commonly colonies of woodcutters and pitch burners as well as industrial colonies with forges and smithies. In the catchment of the Upper Liswarta River, traces of past industrialisation can still be discerned - relics of ancient mill races and channels supplying water to numerous smithies as well as levees and old pond basins. The landscape in the area studied still features hydro-engineering structures that were used to lower the water level in the Jezioro lake. The landscape of settlements and villages that were founded as forest colonies is also a relic of the Frederician colonisation in the area. The presentation of local nature and culture as interwoven throughout history opens as yet untapped opportunities for developing new forms of tourism in many rural and woodland areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake Ashi (also called Ashinoko Lake or Hakone Lake) is located on the Japanese island of Honshu near the town of Hakone. The aim of the study was to determine the chemical composition of the bottom sediments deposited in the littoral zone in the eastern part of the lake and to evaluate their qualitative characteristics. Tests were performed using the following methods: FUS-ICP, TD-ICP, INAA, Cold Vapour FIMS. As concerns the basic composition, the following substances were identified (average levels): SiO2 - 46.6%, Al2O3 - 18.7%, Fe2O3(T) - 10.5%, MnO - 0.2%, MgO - 3.2%, CaO - 5.4%, Na2O - 1.8%, K2O - 0.4%, TiO2 - 1.2%, P2O5 - 0.2%, loss on ignition (LOI) - 12.0%. The average sulphur content determined was 0.1%. The average content of trace elements was: 211.0 mg/kg - Ba, 231.0 mg/kg - Sr, 16.0 mg/kg - Y, 75.0 mg/kg - Zr, 296.0 mg/kg - V, 127.0 mg/kg - Cu, 13.0 mg/kg - Pb, 182.0 mg/kg - Zn, 30.0 mg/kg - Ni, 3.0 mg/kg - As, 26.0 mg/kg - Br, 37.0 mg/kg - Co, 73.0 mg/kg - Cr, 2.9 mg/kg - Hf, 0.7 mg/kg - Sb, 7.2 mg/kg - La, 15.0 mg/kg - Ce, 2.7 mg/kg - Sm, 0.4 mg/kg - Eu, 26.4 mg/kg - Sc, 2.4 mg/kg - Th, 2.2 mg/kg - Yb, 0.2 mg/kg - Lu, 176.0 µg/kg - Hg. Concentrations of several of the elements analysed (Be, Ag, Cd, Bi, Au, Cs, Ir, Mo, Rb, Se, Ta, W, Nd, U, Tb) were not determined because they were present at levels not exceeding the lower limit of detection of the determination methods used. In the case of most components, it was found that the chemical composition of sediments corresponds to their natural concentrations in the environment and supply from human sources is limited to certain elements, e.g. Br, Hg, Zn, Cu, As, Sb and V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kamchatka Peninsula, located in a subduction zone, is among the most seismically active regions of northeastern Asia. Tenerife is the largest island of the Canary Islands. In August 2008, a fieldwork exercise was performed on a small number of volcanic lakes near the Mutnovski and Gorely volcanoes in southern Kamchatka. For comparison purposes, analogous chemical compounds and elements were determined in marginal deposits collected from three sites in a volcanic area of Tenerife in 2010. Bottom sediments were sampled for laboratory testing. The peculiar morphological characteristics of the lakes and physico-chemical properties of their waters have a profound influence on the chemical composition of their bottom sediments in Kamchatka. Silica was found to dominate at an average content of 53%, followed by aluminium oxides at ca. 15% and by iron oxides at 7.5%. No significant differences were found between the lakes in this respect. Other chemical compounds were found in much smaller quantities, whose presence is demonstrated by the losses during heating that varied from 4.7% to 18.29%. The presence of increased quantities of many rare elements (e.g. barium, strontium, vanadium and zirconium) suggests a violent geological past in an area where the products of volcanic eruptions emerged to the surface and that the geology of the area is varied. In the sediments collected in Tenerife silica dominated. In two samples, it accounted for more than 50% of total sediment mass, and in one case its content was close to 33%. In all samples, aluminium oxide content was comparable to that present in the sediments collected in Kamchatka. In general, this also applied to iron oxides; in sediments collected from the lake located in the caldera in Tenerife, their amount was slightly larger and exceeded 10% of sediments by weight. In two cases, loss-on-ignition values were almost identical to those obtained for the sediments found in the lakes located in the crater of the Gorely Volcano in Kamchatka. A much higher organic substance content of nearly 25% was exhibited by sediments in the aforementioned lake in the caldera in Tenerife. However, a completely different pattern emerged with respect to individual elements in the samples collected in Tenerife. In these samples, sulphur only had a marginal share and zirconium was found in the largest quantities. Much higher concentrations were found for elements such as zinc, rubidium, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium and hafnium. This significantly differs from the sediments analysed in Kamchatka. Only barium and strontium were present in comparable amounts in both Tenerife and Kamchatka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to evaluate ice phenomena in four anthropogenic water bodies situated in the south-eastern part of Gliwice during the 2010-2011 winter season. The study consisted of systematic measurements that were carried out daily during freezing and thawing and every two or three days after the ice cover had formed. The first ice phenomena in the water bodies analysed in the form of a thin layer of ice in the coastal zone appeared on 26 November 2010. The destruction of the compact ice cover began with the onset of positive temperatures in March. The rate of its disappearance varied, and the last ice phenomena in the water bodies analysed were observed on 17 March 2011. The duration of ice phenomena in these water bodies was similar. The longest duration (110 days) was observed in the Cegielnia water body, while the shortest one (107 days) in the Żwirownia one. The maximum thickness of the ice cover exhibited slightly greater variation (19.0 cm - 21.5 cm). The observations conducted make it possible to claim that the ice regime in the water bodies studied is quasi-natural and individual phases of the seasonal freezing cycle result from local, mostly natural conditions. The existing differences related to the freezing and thawing of the water surface stemmed mainly from morphometric differences between the limnic water bodies studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the evolution of cultural landscapes in the Polish Carpathian Mountains. The study has determined that the greatest change in natural Carpathian landscapes was caused by agricultural activity. In many areas natural boundaries between adjacent vegetation belts have been replaced by field-forest boundaries and the proportion of forests in the total area was 40% as recently as in the 1970s. Subsequently, the structure of land use began to change as the proportion of arable land started to shrink giving way to grassland, newly planted forests, spontaneously reforested abandoned land and to land developed primarily for tourist purposes. The study shows that much of the development in the cultural landscapes in the Polish Carpathian Mts. did not demonstrate a good balance with regard to their environmental interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper covers transformation processes taking place in subsidence basin lakes in the Silesian Upland, southern Poland. In the Silesian Upland collapsing underground cavities produced in the process of the mining of mineral deposits (hard coal, zinc and lead ores and iron ores) cause gradual or violent subsidence of the ground surface. Geomorphological and hydrological mapping and map-based surveys reveal that the combined area exposed to this type of deformation covers more than 1000 km² and that this deformation results in the formation of basins 30 metres deep or more. The morphometry of water bodies filling subsidence basins is similar to that of the cavities themselves and the waterlines tend to be oval in shape. Small and very small water bodies dominate and a clear majority are 10 hectares in area or less. They are very shallow with very few examples deeper than 2-3 metres. The hydrochemical diversity of these water bodies is determined by the nature of their catchment areas. Research shows that their waters are commonly eutrophic. The presence of biogenic compounds is also a characteristic feature. The severe degradation of water quality is also evidenced by high salinity levels. The water bodies are also characterised by high levels of heavy metal pollution in their bottom sediments. Zinc, lead and cadmium stood out particularly with their concentrations often exceeding the geochemical background levels adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the research was to identify the diversity and variability of oxygen conditions in anthropogenic reservoirs in the Silesian Upland, southern Poland. The choice of oxygen conditions as the factor to be investigated was dictated by the fact that it had a particular importance for ecological conditions in the lakes and influenced the ichthyofauna. The study (performed during the hydrological years 2010, 2011 and 2012 - underway) looked at 39 water bodies of different origins, sizes, hydrology and function and the anthropopressure they were subject to. The results show that oxygen conditions in the water bodies varied across a very wide spectrum from oxygen-less, recorded during long periods of continuous ice cover (e.g. Rozlewisko Bytomki 4%, 0.6 mg/l; Brzeziny 5%, 0.7 mg/l) or at a time of sewage discharge incidents (e.g. Trzy Stawy Miechowice 10%, 1.0 mg/l), to extreme supersaturation during spring and summer algal blooms (e.g. Kamieniec 399,7%, 32,8 mg/l; Farskie 313,2%, 27,3 mg/l). The greatest diversity in vertical cross-sections was recorded in summer when phytoplankton development caused oxygen supersaturation in the epilimnion while hampering light penetration into deeper areas, which contributed to the development of oxygen-less conditions in the hypolimnion (e.g. Brantka from 111%, 10.1 mg/l to 2%, 0.2 mg/l, Szczygłowice from 145%, 13.4 mg/l to 3%, 0.3 mg/l). This was particularly frequent in polluted water bodies. In winter, the oxygen content depended on the duration of ice cover, especially in small, highly polluted ponds. In spring and autumn, the best oxygen conditions were recorded in the vertical cross-sections due to the vertical circulation of water and vigorous water turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bratsk reservoir is located in the southern part of the Siberian platform and is one of the constituents of the Baikal-Angara hydroengineering system. It is a hydropower reservoir used for regulation over the complete year involving fluctuations in level of up to 10 m. The engineering and geological conditions in the areas adjacent to the site of the technical infrastructure are characterised by the inherited structural, geological, geomorphological, and climatic features of the wider area and the exploitation regime of the reservoir. The positive dynamics of the sulphate karst have been retained throughout the existence of the artificial water bodies, it is possible to refer it to a group of hazardous geological processes found in the region. A burst of karst activity was observed during the first period of exploitation of the reservoir., The intensity of karst processes is now sustainable after the reservoir has been in existence for more than 40 years. The karst processes are heavily influenced by anthropogenic factors. New karst forms almost always emerge on the surface during periods of falling water levels in the reservoir, which follows the period of massif saturation at high water level marks. Open karst occurs immediately on the shoreline, the shore slopes covered by a mantle of loose deposits are marked as covered karst. Karst forms are of corrosion-gravitation and karst-erosional genesis. In the case of the former, cavities are created by collapse forming individual holes of up to 20 m in depth, in that of the latter, large erosional forms are created where a series of sinkholes join. A geological evaluation was carried out for engineering purposes. This examined the state of the karst massifs to the south of the Bratsk reservoir and involved a reconnaissance survey with the recording of active and new forms and their monitoring. In addition it was necessary to study the dynamics of individual forms, analyse the conditions in the geological environment, quantitatively assess sites are prone to karst formation and prepare prognostic and specialised karst hazard zonation maps of the territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]